Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-04-09
CARD FROM MR.. LUCAS
THE'STATESNAN PROM JEFFERSON REPLIES
10 Mr. H. G. DAVIS.
BE Denies the Conclusions Reached BY that Gentleman
Relating 10 the Prosperity Of the State-SOns
Remarks Regarding the Standard Oil
Company and Mr.. Camden.
To the Editor Of The Register.

not been, in the main, especially harmful
he has not been replied to by those against
whom his oracles were often covertly di'
rected. The time has passed, however,
when this indulgence can be accorded to
Mr.. Davis without manifest injury to the
best interests of this State and of the Dem
ocratic party.
beg leave, therefore, to present an ans
wer to his letter, published in your paper
of the 3lst ultims, and to ask, in the name
of fair-play, that you publish it in the
REGISTER. The first proposition of Mr.
Davis is that ''The greatest resources of
wealth in West Virginia are her large and
valuable deposits of COAL iron ore and her
timber" This assumption is but one
illustration OF the inveterate habit of Mr..
Davis and other monopolists of mistaking
their Oirn pirate interests for the interests
OF the people or Of the State. Mr.. Davis
own wealth is dependent upon the en-
hancement of coal, iron and timber and he
consequently does not care at whose ex-
pense and cost these values are artifcially
stimulated. call attention to the fact
that there are other interests which he en-
tirely oyerlOoks and which monopolists are
prone to overlook. First, there is the in
terests of agricultural, and secondly, there
is the interests of labor. Are these any
part Of the resources of West Virginia?
The surplus in the Treasury of the United
States for the past year was in round num-
bers about $50, 900, 900 and for the present
year it is estimated at $l25, 600, 600. This
enormous surplus is the lowest estimate OF
the over taxation of the production of
agriculture and labor Of the nation. Mr..
Davis and Mr.. Camden find their account
in keeping up this enormous burden be-
cause they believe that part of it goes
into the profits of their own private or cor
pOrate enterprises. What has Mr. Camden
ever said or done since he has been in the
Senate to relieve labor and agriculture
from the burden of this unequal and eX-
cessive taxation? Upon this subject l
commend to Mr. Davis the calm, thought
ful language of a statesman and true
Democrat, the late Samuel J. Tilden:"Un-
equal legislation, mOnopolies and eXclu
sive privileges of every description not
only lessen production but even al.
ter the distribution of what is produced
invariably to the injury of the laboring
classes" Again Mr.. Tilden says: Now
compare for moment these taxes with
what we used to pay in 1850 and 1860. In
1850 our taxes, Federal and State, were
about $l5i O00, 900 all told In 1850 they
were about $1,000 900. They have run
up from that figure to enormous and APP
palling amounts and they bear heavily up
on every mans income and upon every in
dustry and business i'll the country and
year by year they are destined to bear still
more heavily unless we arrest the system
that gives rise to them. 1t was compare
lively easy when values were doubling
under repeated issues of legal tender paper
money 10 pay out of the froth of our grow
ing and apparent wealth these taxes, but
when values recede and sink toward their
natural scale the tax gathereTs
take from us not only our in
come, not only our profits, but
also portion of our capital. We must
arrest this system or all that has made this
country great and glorious and that has
distinguished it from the empires of the
old world in the beniticent operation of our
political and social system upon the masses
of the people and upon the industrial mil
lions, will have disappeared and We shall
remain in the history ot mankind to point
a moral and adOrn tale
General Jackson was no less emphatic in
his denunciation Of OvertaXation and said,
that there should he no surplus but that
the money should remain in the pockets of
the people where it belonged.
Thomas Jefferson desired Constitutional
amendment to protect the people against
the encrOachment of monopoly and recon-
mended wise and frugal government
that should not take from the mouth Of
labor the bread it has earned"
What would Jackson or Jefferson have
thought of government that oyertaxed
the people to the amount of $l25, 900, 900
annually! Yet the CamdenD Davis policy is
to continue this OvertaxatiOn. So far as !
know. there are no free traders" in West
Virginia, certainly am not one; but do
desire the doctrine of the National Demo
cratic platform carried out by reduction
of the surplus revenue.
Mr.. Davis farther tells us, that we are
| indebted to Mr. Camden for the long and
short haul amendment TO the inter state
act. ] should like to ask Mr.. Davis one
or two questions which, no doubt, hH ac-
auaintance with the history OF COngression-
al legislation will enable him to answer.
Did not the Reagan bill contain similar
provision? Did not Mr.. Camden vote
against that bill? Did he not prefer the
| Cnllom bill? Now that the Commissioners
have been appointed, not one OF whom re-
sides between the Ohio river and the Ches-
apeake bay; will Mr.. Davis deny that the
Reagan bill was in the interest of west
Virginia and that the present law VIII al
ford her very inefficient relief Will he
DENY that he and Mr.. Camden for the past
fifteen years have persistently and uure'
mittingly opposed every principle oil the
Interstate Commerce Bill when We sought
to apply them to our own State by aPpro'
pirate legislation? Does he suppose
that our people are so credulous
and simple-minded as not to recognize and
remember that the very cry, which ne now
raises that capital is timid and cautious
and will not 90 where legislation ~ un-
friendly" has been the plea whereby the
Camden Davis dynasty has defeated oil
legislation intended TO relieve agriculture,
labor. manufacturers and commerce from
the ruinous determinations prac-
ticed by the trunk line rall-
ways against the shippers OF West VIZ
ginia? And what has been the effect OF
this discrimination thus encouraged and
fostered by the Camden-Dayis dynasty
| beg leave to submit TO the people OF tins
State, without regard 10 party, few iacts
in answer to this question. Mr.. DAVIS
boasts that Camden has brought two OF
three millions Of dollars into the state
which have been invested in railro9ds ana
scattered among the people, not only de-
yeloping the State aud its resources but
helping to pay the taxes" Is Mr.. DAVIS
aware that notwithstanding this immense